The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-24
THE PRESIDENTS RECORD.
His Antipathy Union Veterans and How
He Has Displayed 1t.

His Antipathy to Union Veterans and How
He Has Displayed 1t.
Boston Journal.
Some one has been at the pains to look over
the record of President Cleyelands public acts,
in the various Offices which he has held, with
view to ascertaining his attitude toward the sol
diers This recapitulation. which we find printed
In the Hartford Post, Is long and interesting,
and we make room for soIae extracts from It.
While mayor of Buffalo-rhe record goes no
further back than this for in his Office as sheriff
he had no relations with the veterans-he vetoed
a resolution of the Common Council appropria-
ting $500 for the proper observance of Decora-
ton day. Such appropriations are not at eli
uncommon. and they are almost universally IA
vored by public sentiment But Mayor Cleve-
land made the discovery that the appropriation
was obnoxious TO the provisions of the Constl-
tution"-whether that of the State or the nation
merely his own he forbore to state-and
that account he vetoed 1t.
When he became Governor the supervisors of
Chautauqua county were given authority by
the Legislature to appropriate money for
soldiers monument but he vetoed the bill. In
1883 the supply bill contained three items,
amounting altogether to So 500, for the relief of
three veterans who had been disabled while in
the service OF the State, but economist Cleve-
land struck them all out, on the ground that
they were 'gratuitlss' donations" which
the State not obliged to make. Several
months before, however he had approved. with
out apparent hesitation. a bill giving favored
contractor $1,000 extra compensation for work
on the new Capitol. although a similar bill had
been vetoed by Governor Cornell the year pre-
vlous on the ground of unconstltutlOnalty. 1t
appears from this that Mr.. Cleveands conssitu-
tional objections do not apply to contractors,
though they bear down somewhat heav
lily upon veterans. In tne year all
the Grand Army posts of the State pc
titioned for law against the fraudulent use of
the Grand Army badges by impostors, but the
bill was vetoed on the ground that the fines col
lected from i'm posters would go to Grand Army
posts. A bin appropriating $40, 900 for the Get
tysburg Battle field Monument Association, to
be spent in the erection of suitable monuments
to mark the position occupied by New York
troops IN the battle of Gettysburg, met similar
fate at the hands of this eminent economist and
great constitutional lawyer
AS President, Mr. Cleveland has vetoed the
dependent pension bill, and hundred more
individual pension bills, though he OBJ
lection constitutional other, to pensioning
the ex-confsderates who served in the Mexican
He approved the order for the return of
the battle-hags, and recalled it only when he
persuaded of the fact that he is
superior to the laws; and he utilized the ami
versary of the national birthday by writing the
extraordinary ST. Louis letters, in which he
conveyed the intimatlon that he could not 60
to ST. Louis. except peril of insult. IL not
personal injury at the hands OF members OF
the Grand Army. From this cursory summary
of the Presidents acts, it is clear that the
later items in the list in perfect harmony
with the earlier, and that Veterans would be
and shining examples of the virtue of for
giveness if they yearned to welcome and honor
an official who seems to leave but few oppor-
tunities of manifssting n.s dislike for them
escape him.